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u ^^^^ He ^ ^ rim cm ± si&r itWi # tirn ^^ c ^ m ^ v ^ Tirfi " Iiecfii ¥ er ref ^ fs to Chrlstiah antiqul ^ , ism favour of the £ e , rpfctuity of baptism , but refuses torbifild upon iWs evidence . * Phe Fathers , he says , were the fitters of Popery . ( P .
Hfe remarks uporr those that deny the perpetual and universal obligation of baptism , whbrh He designates as Antt'btiptistv — that they are few ia number , of recent origin , and truly
respectable . They make , he says , coihmon eause with his own denomination in their peculiar controversy ; arid they allege , vainl j he thinks , the peace of the Christian Church , as " the chief motive for opposing the 5
perpetuity of baptism . * So far it would appear that these persons , however erring , are entitled at least to common civility ; yet there is no epithet , however scornful , which the Lecturer hesitates to throw out concerning theiti . He fears that the njiotive that has no small influence with
them , is , " disinclination to iricoftv 6-nience and reproach , or to incur disadvantage and odium for conscience ' sake" ! ( P . 125 . ) And this charge , courteous reader precedes an examination of their arin ti
^ amerits contained n gs of Barclay , the Quaker , Emlyn , the Unitarian confessor , and Wafcefield , the Scceder from the National Church , whose honours and emoluments were straight before him . This exam in atioti consists of remarks upon detached passages of their works , instead of
an inquiry into their whole argument ; the remarks themselves being often characterized by levity or petulance . After many declamatory passages of this description , in which the true
question is sometimes lost sight of , and in which the little argument that w condescendingly used is so mixed u l > with irony and banter , that we have found it impossible to separate
Js as we intended , for criticism , the lecturer recounts his success and Proclaims his tritiraph and defies the enemy , \ n the following passage—a true specimen of wh&t Dr . Jortin ca the agonistic style s
What then do the AntUbaptist reasomugs ( for &uch « we call them too courtesy ) Piove , but their own invalidity , or rather ^^
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io |^ r ^ Rfty ?>^ iM ^' ti ^^ SiM % tc ^ te upota * fi& a » e xtfttidttd&a , HtlftftP d&rfe $ & £ . <' . Bapiistn was dislifced , aiid titikthk \ ag- ' &tsfcl lik ^ d , ( -no ; niatter for what reason , ! , i ( r was to be got rid of , i § possible , unden
some plausible pretext or decent apology ? And such men as think they are afc liberty to take counsel of humau policy in auch a case , and that they may cpnsci * entioUsfy abandon Adult immersion , an < ¥ ( lest religion should be stript too tfafe'bf '' externals ) betake themselves to Infant
sprinkling , or Infant dedication , as a harmless and useful superstition , for which tliey allege no scriptural sanctions or divine warrant , will never be at . a loss for pretexts and apologies . No wonder ^ then , that Christian Baptism has been
silently renounced , or clandestinely abanT doned ; for hardly any of the Anti-baptists have come manfully forward to publish their recantation , or to shew cause and justification for the dereliction . And our chief ' difticiilty in putting them on theit * trial was to find documents—written
einit 6 nc&—to produce ag&msfc them . For though they hare been secFetly and busily $ ng&ge& iir formings mi Anti-baptis-t faction , they have beeii very cautious of committing themselves by publishing a « ything in the shape of a inaaifespo .
" JMr . Thamas Enjlyji has thrown together a few crude doubts and conjectures : Mr . Gilbert Wakefield , Wr . Wii ^ liam Frend , and Mr . George Dyer , have given curious specimens of the intellectual emanations which may proceed from learned " ; Hien who have enjoyed all the
advantages of Cambridge . The author of Particular of th £ Ltfe ^ of a Dissen ti rlg ' Minister , also we believe a very leafjnM man , for he boasts of his leading , has giveu a statement vyhich has atrleast the merit of being plain and iriteUigible ; And there is a Dr . Walker , of Dublin , ;
who we believe has written sojyetmag on the subject ; but though we have notbeen able to procure a sight of that something , whatever it is , we feel a kind of moral certainty ( for we know tfoe Doctor ' s caliber well enough )' , that it contains nothing worthy of notice ;
" But we have a right' to challei > ge ^ our Anti-baptist opponents to conae forth in full array of scripture aoid reasoow Let them not lurk in ambush tQ fall upon the weak and the unwary , who hfcvenot leisure to study , or aptitude to defend , a controversial question . Let them
not skirmish in secret with hiere logic&l tyros , who are apt to mistake banter f&r argument , an overbearing manner for overpowering reasoning , atld ia tdamphant air for an actual ovation . Let : them not' carry * m a- pQttiy wa # ] pff ipterniinabk controversy with doubtful posi-
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^ M 8 Vll& $ * WS >^^ 88
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v XXI . 4 M
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1826, page 549, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2552/page/41/
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